Elisabeth Moss was raised as a member of the Church of Scientology and remains a member to this day, telling The Telegraph that she made the choice because “it’s one thing that has helped me at times.” While not hiding from her faith, she has held tight to claims of privacy when it comes to it, giving her reasoning in an interview with The Guardian in March of last year:
“It is weird for me to be put in the position where I am like, ‘No, I can’t. I don’t really want to talk about this.’ You feel kind of like, I am a nice person who likes to talk about stuff. I also get the curiosity. I get the fascination. I become fascinated with things that are none of my business as well. I am just fascinated when someone breaks up with somebody. I want to know all about it. I am very interested in what people are wearing, and all of that kind of thing, but you have a right to your privacy.”
Moss doesn’t typically delve into Scientology and the controversy that surrounds it, but it doesn’t mean some haven’t expressed their concerns about her connections to the group. A recent example involved former member Leah Remini and a possible meeting with Moss at the Emmy awards in September. While she was respectful, Remini noted that Moss wouldn’t be allowed to talk to her and while she had nothing against Moss, “she’s continuing to support a group that is abusive and destroying families.”
That is why a recent Instagram post provided a rare public statement by Moss on her faith in response to a question by a fan of The Handmaid’s Tale.
The post, celebrating the final promotional event for the series before the Emmy Awards, had nothing to do with Scientology on the surface. But for the fan in question, the show itself provided several parallels to the controversial religion. That’s when Moss decided to respond and deny the connection:
“Love this adaptation so much,” Instagram user moelybanks wrote. “Question though, does it make you think twice about Scientology? Both Gilead and Scientology both believe that all outside sources (aka news) are wrong or evil… it’s just very interesting.”
“That’s actually not true at all about Scientology,” Moss responded. “Religious freedom and tolerance and understanding the truth and equal rights for every race, religion and creed are extremely important to me. The most important things to me probably. And so Gilead and THT hit me on a very personal level. Thanks for the interesting question!”
As Entertainment Weekly notes, the comments were a large mix of praise for the question and criticism of Scientology. Some even went so far as to say they would stop watching the show due to Moss’ response and status with Scientology. For what it’s worth, Moss responded in a respectful manner for someone who had their religion compared to something that is fairly horrible. The fan who prompted it also took the actresses response for what it was and accepted it without outrage.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
